Monster
by keem
Summary: Updated 7-04-07. Formerly known as ‘malediction’. After Sonic inadvertently absorbs the negative energy from the Emeralds, chaos is unleashed... and only Shadow can put an end to it. shadamy-sonamy. Read and review.
1. kill all your friends

**A/N:** Formerly known as 'malediction'. After Sonic inadvertently absorbs the negative energy from the Emeralds, chaos is unleashed... and only Shadow can put an end to it. Meanwhile, Amy finds herself torn between the growing interest in an anti-hero forced into the spotlight, and her former flame whose heart has been turned inside out… Read and review.

* * *

"battle not with monster, lest ye become a monster

and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes into you."

- friedrich nietzsche

--

"it is always good men who do the most harm in the world."

- henry brooks adam

* * *

**monster**

"Where to next, Tails?"

"Give me a second and I'll check." The kitsune's two tails made a soft whirling sound, not unlike the noise an RC helicopter makes, as he hovered in mid-air. He pushed several buttons on his hand-held computer and it beeped obligingly before a holographic grid sprang up in his hands, bathing his face in its brilliant green light. He studied the image before him a moment, frowning as he said, "we keep following this hallway until it dead-ends, and then we make a left through the door."

Sonic nodded once. "Any more security bots?"

"No..."

"Awesome! What a cake-walk!" Sonic said, grinning as he raised his hand for a high-five. The little two-tailed genius didn't seem to be sharing his sentiments, however, his expression growing more and more muddled as he continued to stare at the screen. "What's up, little bro?" Sonic asked, his face falling as he gazed upon the look of genuine concern etched on his friend's furry features. He stood on his tip-toes and strained his neck, trying to look over the hovering fox's shoulder at the screen. Having a visual aid did little to help the hedgehog get a better grasp of the situation, however - all he saw was open space, a few walls, a door, and seven flickering little objects. There was also a lot of numbers and the usual techno-babble Sonic would never be able to understand; no matter how many times Tails had tried to explain it in the past. "Something wrong?"

Tails seemed to jerk out of his trance, blinking rapidly. He snapped the little computer shut and tucked it away in the tool-belt he had brought along for the mission. "Well, nothing I can determine outright..." he began slowly.

"...Buuuut?" Sonic asked, a little impatiently. His gaze kept flicking down the hall, clearly eager to get a move on.

"But, well... don't you think security is a bit.. uhm, lax?"

"Eggman doesn't expect an ambush?" Sonic offered, raising a single eyebrow. It was clear that the lack of robot personnel was the last thing on his mind at the present. Tails continued to look unconvinced, and the blue hedgehog bit back a sigh and eventually shrugged. "Look, Tails, I don't mean to undermine your opinion or anything, but _who cares_? Haven't you ever heard the expression, 'don't look a gift horse in the mouth'? Let's just get a move on before Robotnik happens to notice we're here."

"But that's just it, Sonic," Tails said, shaking his head. "He has cameras all over this place! He has to known we're here by now. So where _is _everybody?"

"Don't know, don't care, don't want to stick around long enough to find out," Sonic said, tapping his foot. "C'mon Tails, we'll worry about things as we get to them. But so far, it's been smooth sailing, and we should be thankful. Although _I _wouldn't mind a little butt-thrashing right about now, to keep things interesting," the hedgehog added, casting his gaze upward thoughtfully.

Tails tried to smile reassuringly, although he still harbored some doubts. "I guess you're right..."

"'Course I am," Sonic said airily, waving him off. "Now let's hurry up and get this over with, and then maybe we'll be back in Station Square in time to catch the remainder of Happy Hour..." He flashed the little fox a wink and revved up, his feet kicking up dust on the floor before he rocketed off down the hall, Tails trailing behind like a little orange shadow.

* * *

"Robotnik's technology prowess never ceases to amaze me," Tails marveled, almost reverently as they glanced about the room, which appeared to be an enormous foyer leading into another room behind it, obscured by closed doors. The walls to the left and the right of the two were adorned with what appeared to be massive super computers and monitors. Their screens were either hooked up to security cameras and showing live-feed from various vantage points within the air fortress, or displaying graphs and numbers and grids - the sorts of complicated things Sonic could care less about.

"His architecture and sense of decor is shit, though," the blue hedgehog said wryly, indicating the drab paint and slate-grey flooring. "The man has _clearly_ never heard of fung shui." He waggled his eyebrows at the younger kitsune, who was suddenly absent from his side. "What? Hey!" He pivoted on one heel, catching sight of Tails' backside as he retreated to one of the nearest computers, fingers already poised above the keyboard. The little fox could not resist the urge to snoop around in one of Robotnik's databanks when the offer was so plainly presented.

"Maybe I can hack into some of his system files, see what his next big scheme is," Tails said, speaking over the stream of Sonic's sudden protests.

"Later, Tails! We're almost there. It's just through this one last door, right?" Sonic jabbed his finger at the door just before him.

"Actually, according to my radar earlier, this _should_ be the room," Tails said, his fingers rapidly tapping away at the keyboard as he spoke. "We went straight down the hallway and took a left, correct?"

"Right," Sonic said, rubbing the back of his head in evident confusion as he glanced around. "But if your directions really are right, where are they?"

"Directly beneath you," Tails informed him matter-of-factly. There was a resounding click, followed by a hissing noise, like air escaping from a broken seal. Sonic gave a cry of surprise as the ground beneath him began to shift and elevate, leaping out of the way before he could be taken up with it. A huge, cylindrical foundation broke free from the ground and began to rise rapidly into the air, fold-out stairs unfurling behind it as it went. Sonic watched the enormous structure open up and blossom before him, elongating and expanding like a bizarre, mechanical flower in bloom. It shuddered as it came to a halt, some five feet above them, an enormous circular chamber undoubtedly harboring seven highly sought after jewels, hooked up to what appeared to be some heavy-duty machinery within the confines of the glass.

"How'd you know...?"

"It says so right here," Tails said simply, pressing one gloved digit against the illuminated screen before him. Sonic squinted at it, but all he could see was a bunch of scrolling mumbo-jumbo only mad scientists and whiz kits were able to easily decipher. To him, it was just a nonsensical mess.

"I still don't see how you... oh, whatever," Sonic dismissed, well beyond caring by this point. He was hungry, and tired, and bored, and he just wanted to steal the Emeralds and _go_. He lifted his head upwards to stare at the object of their mission, seven enormously powerful and potentially destructive gem stones known as the Chaos Emeralds. "Let's snatch the Emeralds and beat feet out of here." He rubbed his hands together anxiously, wondering to himself what the best way to go about this was.

_Well, I guess I'll start by taking the stairs_, he thought dryly to himself, making his way up the steps. Once he had reached the top he clenched one fist and rapped it up against the glass, which shuddered slightly under the assault of his hand.

"Man, they don't make them like they used to," Sonic observed out loud, grinning to himself. "It's like he wants _us_ to get them." Behind him, although he couldn't see it, Tails' expression darkened. "Doubt it's even an inch thick. Nothing a sonic spin won't make short work of--"

"Sonic--" Tails began haltingly, but his voice was drowned out by the roar of Sonic's spines buzzing through glass like a chainsaw. Within a few seconds the cobalt hero had made a perfectly spherical hole that was big enough for him to eclipse with relative ease.

"Easy as pie," he said, picking little pieces of dull glass free from his quills as he clamored through. Standing before the Emeralds, linked up between wires stretching between them, Tails couldn't help from feeling apprehensive. The absence of rampant security was reason to worry enough - they had made it this far with virtually no resistance. Something was surely very wrong here; Tails could feel it.

"Sonic, something's not right here," the little fox warned. "I don't think we should--" But the dire warning fell upon deaf ears; Sonic's arms were extended forward, fingers stretched to grasp the first Emerald. Sudden inexplicable panic seized Tails. "Sonic, don't! It's a trap!"

Completely disregarding Tails' exclamation, Sonic picked up one of the Emeralds. There was a beat in which no one spoke, and then Sonic smiled. "See, Tails? Nothing bad happene--" His words were cut short as an electrical current flashed through the cable and went up through the Emerald and up Sonic's arm, suddenly basking the hedgehog in a white-hot glow. The glow then became a blaze, intensifying in color, engulfing the hedgehog in its shade like a flash fire. For a moment Sonic simply seemed puzzled, but then there was a sinister sounding _crack_, like an exposed wire emitting sparks, or something breaking under stress – or perhaps it was Sonic who had broken, having finally snapped beneath the impending force of chaotic energy being forcibly ejected into him.

The cobalt hero threw back his head and suddenly screamed, a sound so unbearable that Tails pressed his ears flat against his head, struck silent and immobile by the horrible sight before him. The petite fox's mouth was slack with horror, watching the scene unravel before him helplessly. Sonic was thrashing, the Emerald still gripped fiercely between his digits as though glued to him by some invisible force. His voice rose in pitch and volume, wrought with agony and anguish and something a lot like fear, and yet still, Tails found himself unable to function coherently except to _stare, _his gaze transfixed upon the scene as though it were blood on the snow, gruesome but somewhat twistedly appealing.

And then as abruptly as it began, it ended, and the hedgehog slumped to the floor, the emerald rolling free from his grasp as he fell. The room was silent except for Tails' quiet whimpering and Sonic's labored breathing. The fox finally recovered from his shock and leapt into action, rushing up the steps and climbing into the chamber to see if the other animal was alright.

First, he checked his pulse - the hedgehog was still very much alive, his chest heaving with the effort of his breathing. His head was lulled to one side, his jaw clenched tightly shut as he exhaled heavily through his nose.

"Sonic?" There were tears in the kitsune's eyes as he feebly tried to stir the unconscious hedgehog. "Sonic? Are you alright?"

At last he began to stir, groaning slightly as he came to. "Oh, thank the gods!" Tails said, clasping his hands fiercely before him, as though in prayer. "Sonic, are you okay? I _told_ you it was a trap--" He bit his lip anxiously as the other animal first sat up, then slowly climbed to his feet so that his back was facing Tails. With every passing moment the hedgehog seemed to grow stronger and surer of himself, much to the relief of the other animal.

"So that's why there wasn't anyone trying to stop you," Tails observed, watching as Sonic cracked his own neck, apparently to get the kinks out. "He wanted you to get zapped. He must've tampered with the energy flow on the Emerald, reversed them so that they would have an adverse effect on you..." Sonic muttered something under his breath and Tails' ear twitched forward, trying to catch what he had said. It was too late, however - the comment was missed entirely.

"What did you say?" the little fox asked curiously, leaning forward. Sonic didn't immediately answer and Tails reached out and touched his shoulder. "Sonic, did you hear me? Are you alright?"

Sonic slowly turned so that he was facing his comrade. The gaze he fixed Tails with was one he had never seen before - but if he had to guess, it was something a lot like disgust. "I said," the blue hedgehog said, louder this time, and the tone in which he said it made the kitsune's fur stand up on end in sudden alarm. "Adverse effects? You have _no_ idea." And his fist abruptly closed around Tails' throat.

* * *

Initially, Tails was so shocked by the other animal's outburst that he simply allowed himself to be seized. As he felt his windpipe slowly crushing under the strain of Sonic's anger, however, common sense won out and his own hands flew up in a desperate act to slacken the cobalt hedgehog's vice-like grip on his throat. "Sonic," the little fox gurgled, "it's me, Tails…"

"I _know_ who you are," Sonic said coldly, and instead of his grip slackening, it seemed to grow even impossibly tighter. His digits were tightly laced and unyielding and Tails began to panic as shadows bled along the edges of his field of vision. Seconds passed, and he began to feel frighteningly dizzy and light-headed...

"I never thought I'd live to see the day," chortled a voice from nearby, accompanied with a faint whishing noise that indicated someone else had entered the room. "I'm actually _happy_ to see you for once, Sonic."

"Are you?" The blue hedgehog asked sardonically, his hold on the kit's throat finally loosening. Tails slumped to the floor, half-choking, half-gasping for air. His hand instinctively began to rub the place where Sonic had grabbed him, feeling the tender skin beneath the dense matted fur there. He knew he would be sporting a fantastic bruise later, but this minor detail was not the foremost concern in his mind.

"What have you _done_ to him?" he wheezed.

"It's quite genius, really," Robotnik said, looking rather proud of himself. "I dreamed up the idea after watching the whole Perfect Chaos fiasco unfold. You see, the fact that Chaos only absorbed the _negative_ energy of the Chaos Emeralds, leaving half-charged husks infused only with the power of good behind, had me quite intrigued. So after all was said and done, I began to wonder: could the _reverse _holdtrue as well? When Sonic used a new batch of Chaos Emeralds to become Super Sonic, did he leave the negative pieces behind? Could they still be salvageable?

"Unfortunately, even if my theory was true, I had no way of knowing for sure, since humans aren't compatible with the Emeralds. I could not tap into their dark potential; only a creature like Sonic could be capable of achieving a higher status. My initial thought was perhaps I could persuade Shadow to test my theory, but the more I thought about, the less likely it seemed that he'd agree - you and your motley crew have done your fair share of brainwashing him, and I wasn't sure he'd want to. So then I devised this little machine right here," he indicated the capsule that the Emeralds had been confined within with a dramatic sweep of his hand, "which forcefully injects the power of the Emeralds into any creature that attempts to make contact with them. And as you can see, it worked rather marvelously."

Tails inclined his head in Sonic's direction; he watched as a slightly muddled expression crossed his features. The hedgehog seemed to be impressed beyond his will. "That _is_ pretty cool," he said at last, trademark smirk slowly sidling into place. There was something undeniably different about the expression, however, graced on the features of this newly-changed Sonic. It was a cross between hateful and maniacal. The little fox shivered.

"Isn't it, though?" the chubby doctor was practically beaming with pride.

"There's just one problem, though."

Robotnik seemed confused. "And what is that?"

The cobalt hedgehog took a step forward. "Well," be began slowly, "did it ever occur to you that you just gave your most hated rival a stupidly unfair advantage? Your goal was to turn me inside out – to mutate me, mold me, make me bad. This, accompanied with the fact that I'm boosted by the power of seven chaos emeralds, has made me a more than formidable adversary. Did it ever occur to you that it had completely eliminated any notion of an even playing field between you and I, in _my_ favor? _Did it ever occur to you,_ you fat fuck, that I might just become intent on destroying you now, instead of simply thwarting your evil plans before lunch?"

The two were nose-to-nose now, the shorter animal gazing up into the face of his rival with the utmost contempt. Tails couldn't help but feel a twinge of perverse pleasure at the sight of the doctor's evident unease.

"T-That did cross my m-mind, yes," the doctor admitted, and there was genuine terror in his eyes. He took an involtunary step back, but Sonic matched his movement with one of his own – they continued to be nose-to-nose.

"Tell me, then," Sonic said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Convince me. Why should I join the likes of you?"

There was something even more chilling in Sonic's lack of vehemence, something far more terrifying than his outright violence. Tails watched as a thick bead of sweat formed at the top of the egg-shaped doctor's eye-ridge and then dripped abruptly into his left eye. He blinked rapidly.

"Well?" Sonic snapped impatiently, his voice ringing loudly off of the metallic walls of the room. Both Tails and Robotnik jumped.

"Uh… well, the p-promise of world domination is rather a-appealing, I'd imagine…" the human began awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. He tried to smile.

"And what makes you think I'm not perfectly capable of doing that on my own?" Sonic murmured. Robotnik's mouth opened, then shut abruptly, then opened again. He seemed unable to formulate a proper reply.

"I'm disappointed in you, doctor," Sonic said, shaking his head. "I thought I could expect more from you—"

"Hey assholes!" came an angry voice, and Sonic and Robotnik looked around in sudden bewilderment. Tails winced and immediately fumbled to his tool-belt, where a radio was holstered in one of the notches. He started to turn the volume down but the blue hedgehog raised his hand to halt him.

"Wait," he commanded. "Turn it up. I had nearly forgotten about them…" he smiled.

For a moment, Tails considered openly defying him for the sake of the other two. At the same time, however, he thought better of it; if he made this new version of Sonic angry enough, there was no telling what he might do.

"Hello?" came the impatient voice again. "Did you guys die or something? Me and Amy have been waiting up here with the _Tornado_ for over an hour. Do you need us to bail your sorry asses out of a jam or _what_?" Tails chewed on his lower lip, casting a fearful glance at the cobalt hedgehog.

"Go on," Sonic said, nodding. He seemed deeply amused by the entire ordeal. "Answer them."

_And say what? That you've gone completely insane? _Tails wondered to himself. He fumbled with the notch of his belt before the radio came tumbling loose, clattering on the ground before he could abruptly snatch it up again. Sonic snickered at the kit's nervousness, his smirk becoming an outright grin as Tails lifted the speaker to his mouth.

"Uh, hey, it's Tails," he began haltingly, unsure of just what to say. "Uh, listen, we've hit something of a snag here…"

"What the hell does _that_ mean?" came Knuckles' gruff voice again. "Can you be a little more specifi—Amy, hey! Let go!"

"Tails!" came Amy's concerned voice, having evidently wrenched the radio out of the big echidna's hands. "Are you guys alright? Do you need a hand? Is Sonic okay?"

"Uh… well…"

"Uh, uh, uh, why don't you spit it out already!" came Knuckles' outraged cry, sounding distant and tinny over the airwave.

"That's enough," Sonic said, waving the radio away. Tails blindly clipped it back onto his belt, refusing to take his eyes off of the hedgehog in case he tried to pull a fast one like earlier. "Hey, doc," Sonic said, pivoting on one red sneaker so that he was facing the human. Robotnik looked uncomfortable being the focus of Sonic's undivided attention yet again. "We'll come back to this later. There's something I want to take care of first." Robotnik exhaled in relief as Sonic returned his attention to Tails.

"That echidna sure does have a _mouth_ on him, doesn't he?" Sonic said, clucking distastefully at Knuckles' apparent lack of social etiquette. "Tell ya what, Tails," the hedgehog said after a moment, cocking his head to one side and putting his hands on his hips. "Since I used to like you so much, why don't I give you a head-start hoofin' it back to others? I'll give you to the count of… ten, let's say. Sound fair?" He didn't really wait for a reply, instead opting to turn around and close his eyes, as if they were simply playing a round of hide-and-seek and Sonic was 'it'. "One… two…"

Tails was already running.


	2. you can run, but we'll find you

**A/N:** Hello ducklings! And now, we bring you the next installment of 'Monster' ;) Now, let me say, Evil!Sonic actually ended up being pretty fun to write. In the first chapter he was pretty stereotypically 'Ooh I'm bad and stuffs' but in this chapter he's cocky and smug and, well, more _Sonic-y_, to be honest. I really like the interaction between Amy and Sonic in this chapter--and I really like what Knuckles has to say on the subject of Shadow at the end of the chapter XD This fic wasn't originally supposed to be funny, per se, but it kind of turned out that way... well, I think it's funny anyway. Regardless, I hope you all enjoy and leave me lovely little reviews to make me happy and warm inside. Constructive criticism welcome! Bring it on :D

* * *

Giving Tails a ten-second head start was something of a joke, and both parties involved knew it. He could have given Tails a full five minutes and the hedgehog still could have overtaken him with ridiculous ease. With this in mind, the kit was hardly surprised when a blue streak went careening past in a blur of motion and noise, the latter of which followed seconds later. Sonic was faster than _sound_, for Gods' sake—even going his fastest, Tails didn't even remotely stand a chance of reaching them in time.

That's why, when Sonic went blasting past, the first thing the fox did was reach for his radio again. "Guys!" he practically screamed into it. "Start up the engine and get ready to leave! He's coming!"

"_Who's_ coming, Tails?" came Amy's anxious voice, but no sooner had the words reached Tails' ears when he heard a commotion in the background.

"What in the nine hells are you doing?" he heard Knuckles demand, his voice slightly muted in the distance. There was a thump followed by a string of curses as a fight evidently broke out between the two.

"Leave him alone!" Tails heard Amy's muffled cry. Then, closer, "What's _wrong_ with him, Tails?"

"Robotnik pumped him full of some bad juice, Amy!" Tails told her quickly. "He had the Emeralds hooked up to some kind of high-tech gadgetry, reversing the flow of energy so that he could pump the negative bits back into Sonic when he touched it… Amy, he's gone completely insane!" He heard Knuckles yell something unintelligible as the sounds of battle drew nearer.

"Amy? How's Knuckles holding up?" Tails asked anxiously, but there was no audible reply; the only thing the kit could hear were the grunts and swears of the scarlet Guardian as he continued to fight the other hedgehog. "Amy?" the fox asked fearfully, still getting no reply. Thankfully at that moment he had reached the straightaway leading to the deck outside where the others were stationed.

"Amy!" he cried into his radio, unsure if they could still hear him. "Hold on, I'm coming!"

* * *

Tails exploded onto the scene just in time to see Sonic bodily throw Knuckles across the deck. The echidna skidded on his back for several yards until he hit a stack of crates off to the left of the _Tornado_, causing the majority them all to tumble down on top of him like a house of cards crumbling in a breeze. The echidna did not immediately reappear, and the little fox feared the worst.

"Knuckles!" Amy and Tails cried in unison. First Sonic rounded on Amy, fixing her with a curious stare, one eyebrow cocked, as if noticing her for the first time. Then he seemed to think better of it and turned to face Tails instead, apparently deciding he was the more immediate threat.

"Showed Echitard some manners, didn't I?" he sneered proudly. "He should learn to only speak. When. Spoken. To."

"It isn't your place to teach him etiquette," Amy said darkly, her fists clenched at her sides. "And you're one to talk about propriety, Sonic. You caught him completely unawares. You fought dirty."

Sonic returned his gaze to her for a second time. Seizing his chance, Tails ran over to join her side. "You never seemed to mind my theatrics before, Amy," he told her coolly. The two-tailed kit glanced over to see that the female hedgehog was red in the face, but whether from rage or embarrassment, Tails couldn't tell. "Fighting fair is _boring_. What am I supposed to do, challenge him to a duel or something? Engage in fisticuffs? This was faster, meaner, and most of all, entertaining. Served up just the way you like it, a la Sonic."

"Because you did this for _my_ indulgence," Amy scoffed, as Tails watched the scene unravel before him in mild confusion. This new Sonic was full of surprises—and his cruelty was apparently done with a case-by-case basis. The manner in which he was currently dealing with Amy was downright pleasant in comparison the treatment Eggman, Knuckles, and Tails himself had received.

"Maybe it was extra over-the-top for your enjoyment," Sonic continued evenly. "I squashed redhead in two seconds flat. You can't tell me you aren't impressed."

"I'm not impressed at all!" Amy exploded in a fury. "That's my friend, Sonic—that's _your_ friend. What you just did—that was low! That was despicable! That was—that was a crock of bull, that's what! You're a monster!"

Sonic's expression immediately darkened. "Monster?" he asked quietly, and he slowly began to advance upon the two of them. "Is that what you think?" he chuckled blackly. "Really? I'll show you 'monster', Amy Rose."

"Don't you dare touch her, you son-of-a-bitch," rasped a voice from behind, and Sonic's head snapped back in the direction of the threat. Knuckles was getting to his feet, albeit a little unsteadily. It was in this moment that Tails realized Knuckles had badly miscalculated the situation—because he knew that, for a fact, Sonic was going to demonstrate his ruthlessness to Amy on Tails himself, and not Amy personally. Whether she was aware of it at the time was completely debatable, however.

"Such chivalry!" Sonic exclaimed mockingly, his arms folded across his peach-furred chest. "Just where did _that_ come from, anyway? Didn't know you had it in ya." He cocked his head to one side, seemingly contemplating the echidna in a new light. "You have a hard-on for Amy or something, Knux? Some kind of infatuation you didn't tell me about?" There was a malevolent glint in the hedgehog's eye. "She's pretty hot, I'm not gonna lie. But you know what, redbone?" His voice dropped to a stage whisper. "Lusting after friend's girl is a big no-no according to the Dude Code." And he charged.

Knuckles raised his fists to block the blows that were no doubt coming, but it didn't matter, because Amy had reacted first. Before anybody was quite sure what was happening she had Piko Piko hammer in her arms and brought it around in a low swing, catching Sonic by the legs and pulling them out from underneath him. The hedgehog landed hard on his back, a soft 'oof' escaping his throat as the wind was knocked out of him completely by the force of his impact.

"Start the plane, Tails!" Amy commanded, and the little kit immediately set out to do just that. Meanwhile Knuckles had rushed over to the pink tourmaline hedgehog's aid, in case she needed a little extra muscle to keep Sonic on the floor.

"Wow, Amy," Sonic panted, as the air returned to his lungs. "That was some pretty quick reflexes."

"Flattery is going to get you nowhere, Sonic," Amy told him darkly, as the two of them loomed over his fallen form. "Not with the state _you're_ in." Behind them, the _Tornado_ gave a whine as it sputtered to life, which quickly morphed into a full-fledged roar.

"C'mon Amy, this isn't about you," Sonic complained as he got up on his elbows. His gaze flicked over to Knuckles, and he smirked slightly. "It's about me and Knux. Then me and Tails. Then Egghead. Then me and the _world_."

"I don't know what you've got your panties in a knot over, 'hog," Knuckles told him, shaking his head in disgust. "But the sooner you relax, the sooner we can get you a psychiatrist or something. Because it's pretty obvious you've gone off the deep end, here."

"I don't need therapy," Sonic spat up at him. "I need a revolution. A new world order. I need a little _chaos_." He moved to stand, but not before Amy could point the heavy, blunt end of Piko Piko hammer in his face.

"You're not going to get up if you know what's good for you, Sonic," she told him evenly.

"Aww, Amy," the cobalt hedgehog whined. "Don't make me have to hurt you…"

"Oh, we don't need to worry about that," Knuckles said, pressing one booted heel into Sonic's chest and forcing him back against the deck. "You wont be laying a hand on her, blue. I'll make sure of it."

"You think you've got the upper hand here, Knux?" Sonic inquired with a snort. "You've got to be kidding me. You can't best the _best_, bonehead." His own hands reached up and seized the echidna by the calve. "To break or not to break," the hedgehog contemplated aloud in a singsong voice. It was evident by the fear in Knuckles' eyes that Sonic had a surprisingly strong and forceful grip. "That is the question."

"Don't!" Amy cried.

"Before I was just toying with you guys," Sonic said, smiling up at her. "Now it's time to get mean." He hoisted the leg up with apparent ease, ready to deliver what would surely be a devastating blow. Right before he could carry out his threat, however, a wrench hit him squarely in the face and he yelped in surprise, releasing his hold on Knuckles as his hands went up to touch his face.

"Time to go!" Tails said, waving them frantically with one hand. In the other he brandished a screwdriver like a weapon, ready to use it as another projectile if the need arose. Both Amy and Knuckles didn't need telling twice – they both squeezed into the bucket seats in the back, strapping themselves in and putting their goggles in which Sonic was distracted with the subject at hand.

"Man, that could've hurt," Sonic said, examining the wrench curiously as he got to his feet. "Good thing I'm practically invulnerable—**HEY**!" he looked up just in time to see the Tornado go screaming down the runway and suddenly lift into the sky.

* * *

"So it basically turned him inside out?" Amy asked, after Tails had explained what had happened in the bowels of Robotnik's Emerald chamber for the third time.

"Yeah."

"And he's got the seven Chaos Emeralds backing him?" Knuckles looked deeply troubled by the prospect.

"Yeah."

"He doesn't _look_ like Super Sonic…" the petite hedgehog mused, as the_ Tornado_ descended through a patch of clouds. Beneath them, the runway and Tails' Mystic Ruins workshop became visible.

"Yeah, but did you see when I creamed him with that wrench?" Tails asked, flipping a few notches on the panel in front of him as they circled overhead. "It should've broke his nose. But it barely fazed him."

"Yeah, and he was packin' quite an impressive left hook, let me tell you," Knuckles said darkly. "More impressive than usual, anyway. But don't tell him I said that."

"Of course, because, you know, we're just gonna strike up a friendly _chat_ with that maniac anytime soon," Amy said sarcastically. "We've got to somehow undo this. But how?"

"Couldn't we just forcibly pump the good parts of the Emerald's leftover power into him, the way Robotnik did? Wouldn't that neutralize the effects?" the echidna inquired.

"Probably," Tails agreed.

"Then why don't we just go back there and _do _it?" he demanded.

Tails felt both pairs of his friends' eyes on the back of his head expectantly as he pressed a button, causing the landing gear to engage beneath him. "Well, firstly, I'm not even sure if Robotnik built the machine so that it could do that," he admitted slowly. "So if he didn't, I've got to build my own that can, and then somehow trick him, or trap him, or whatever, so that he is put in another position where he's being injected with Chaos energy… because I'm pretty sure Sonic isn't going to willingly walk up and absorb the positive energy just because we ask him nicely. " The kit grimaced. "Secondly, do you really want to try and go back there to snoop around and try to figure that all out all while he's there? I mean, he pretty much thrashed you before with little to no incentive--basically, just because he wanted to. I'm sure returning there right now would only incur a backlash –especially since I tried to cold-cock him just before he left. Do you really want to be the pincushion for his quills again?"

"Do you think he'll be guarding that place, in case that's what he expects us to do?" Amy asked concernedly.

Tails' grimace deepened. Why did everyone always expect him to have the answers? Just because he was smart, didn't mean he was a mind-reader. "I don't know," he told them honestly. "I have no idea if he's going to come looking for us, or if he's going to stay there, or he's got some completely different agenda in mind. He's got plenty of options, and I haven't the faintest idea which one appeals to him the most." He brought the_ Tornado_ down in a perfectly smooth landing.

"So what do we do? Because we can't just sit around and do nothing—" Knuckles began tersely, after the engines had died down and the trio had disembarked.

"We'll lay low," Amy answered for the kitsune as they made their way up the steps to the workshop. "Give it a little while. If nothing else, we're definitely going to have to recruit some backup before we head back into the fray."

"I don't know if it's going to do us any good, if he's really gone Super, and Super Bad, to boot," Knuckles said gravely, as Tails unlocked the door and flicked on a light inside. "It's hard to find someone who can compare to _that_."

"I've got someone in mind," she murmured thoughtfully.

Both Tails and Knuckles swiveled their heads back to look at her. "Who?" Tails asked.

"Someone who is equally invincible," she told them simply. "Someone immortal."

"You don't mean—" Tails said, but not before Knuckles could interrupt him.

"Great," he said, with a dramatic eye-roll. "Just when you think it can't get any worse. One suped up hedgehog on an ego trip is bad enough. Two of 'em is unbearable, especially when the latter looks like he listens to _My Chemical Emo_ and laments about some broad who's been dead for, I don't know, like half a century! I really can't _stand_ that asshole." And with one last great huff, he turned around to stomp inside.


	3. Main Offender

**A/N: **Sorry this chapter took so long to get out to you guys. I may be on summer vacation, but motivation has been next to none. I blame it on _Death Note_, my latest infatuation. Speaking of which, I've been meaning to write a fic for that category too… but I digress. Let me know what you think!

* * *

"The answer is no."

"Shadow, I don't think you understand the severity of the situation at hand," Amy tried to reason, resisting the urge to reach across the table and clasp the other hedgehog on the shoulder. "Sonic is going to go on a rampage. Lives could be at stake."

"Even still," the svelte hedgehog replied, arms folded across his chest. "I won't oblige."

"Shadow, please." She was pleading now, and this time, she couldn't help herself - she _did_ reach out and touch him, in the place right above the elbow. "This isn't something we can handle on our own. We need you." She peered into the dark contours of his face, only to realize he wasn't looking back at her directly - rather, his attention was focused on the digits fastened on his forearm, regarding their physical link with a kind of disdain that was usually reserved for vermin. Seeing this, Amy wisely decided to retract her hand and the hedgehog, at last, inclined his head to look up at her.

"It doesn't matter," he told her simply, and her face fell with finality of his words. Crestfallen, she had to remind herself that Shadow wasn't like Sonic or the others in the least - she could not appeal to his better nature here; she could not flatter him in an attempt to implore him for help. She could offer him nothing in return for his services and so he had no reason to oblige, having nothing to benefit from with the agreement to become involved. Furthermore, Amy Rose and her companions were by no means his friends – this, coupled with the lack of any reason motivation to join the fight – left him with a firm and unyielding answer. What little comradery he _did_ hold for anyone was certainly not reserved for her, or any other members of the Team Sonic. The only person she could see influencing his decision on the matter was the albino bat situated in the seat just to the left of him, and she did not seem remotely impressed by Amy's begging.

It had been hard enough just to get the hedgehog to give her an audience in the first place. Meanwhile, she was receiving virtually no support from her own friends. Knuckles flat-out refused to be apart of this impromptu meeting, partially because he didn't want to acknowledge the renegade as a potential means of support, and partially because he wasn't particularly fond of Rouge either. Meanwhile Tails was playing mad-scientist, fumbling with dials and knobs in the background, trying to set up spy satellites to capture Sonic's every move. The television set was blaring in the other room of the machine shop, tuned into a popular news program in case the media caught wind of any of Sonic's wicked deeds before Tails and the others could first. Either Sonic had not yet publically revealed himself to be a villain, or devastation had not yet been wrought--regardless, the city was safe and sound… for now.

"We're sorry, sweets," Rouge murmured, although she didn't look apologetic in the slightest. Her heavy boots were thrown up on the table, thighs crossed as she leaned back in her chair. "But we just don't really see a point. Sonic can blow up Station Square for all we care. Heaven knows it'd make the place more i_nteresting_." She flashed a fanged grin. "A little chaos might be good for you chumps."

"Your affairs are not our concern," Shadow told her evenly. "Unless Sonic decides to directly interfere with my agenda, I see no reason to become involved."

"But Shadow—"

"My patience is wearing thin, girl," Shadow said, scarlet eyes narrowed to slits. "I've said my piece; my answer remains the same." The chair scraped nosily across the concrete floor as he moved to stand. "Let's go, Rouge."

"Right-o, Shads," Rouge said, sitting forward. Before she got up to follow suit, however, she leaned across the table to whisper into Amy's ear. The pink hedgehog perked up expectantly to better hear the bat's husky murmur: "The next time you want us to help you with your civic duty, honey, mayhaps you should come up with a better bribe beforehand," she breathed. "A few pretty gems to sway us next time, hmmm?" Amy stared at the other girl incredulously as she rose to join Shadow at the doorway. Amy followed suit in order to show them to the exit, playing the part of a gracious host even though the two flat-out refused to help her. Old habits died hard, she guessed.

As they passed Knuckles in the sitting area, the echidna spoke. "What's the matter, Shadow? Scared?" He did not look up from the news program on the TV, although there was something of a smirk tugging at the edges of his snout.

The black-furred hedgehog seemed unimpressed. Rouge, on the other hand, bristled at the comment.

"Nice try, Knuxie, but he isn't as easy to rile up as you," she told him tartly. "Not everyone is a hot-headed, gullible buffoon."

"It's _echidna_," Knuckles responded nastily, his eyes narrowing as he started to get his hackles up. "I'm an echidna."

"Knuckles, relax," Amy said exasperatedly, putting her hand on his shoulder. "She's baiting you."

"Relax? I don't need to relax," the scarlet Guardian responded gruffly, folding his muscular arms across his broad chest as he sunk lower into his recliner. "Why would I need to relax? I'm perfectly fine." Behind him, Rouge smirked and opened her mouth, apparently on the verge of making yet another smart reply when Shadow's deep bass voice interrupted them.

"Rouge, drop it. Let's go before we make ourselves unwelcome here."

Amy gave a sigh of relief. "Well, uhm, thanks for hearing me out, I guess," she said awkwardly, unlocking the door for them. Tails peered into the sitting area from the kitchen, eyebrows raised questioningly.

Amy shrugged at him and opened the door, showing them out. When she closed the door behind them and walking back into the living room, Knuckles very openly opened his eyes.

"Well, so much for appealing to their better nature," he said, rolling his eyes. "Got a Plan B?"

"Not… really…" Amy admitted slowly.

"Well, maybe we wont need one," Tails piqued up from the doorway. Both Amy and Knuckles' heads swiveled in the direction of the young kit's voice. He was staring past them, at the door whence Shadow and Rouge had exited through, his expression thoughtful.

"What do you mean, Tails?" Knuckles asked.

"Well, I'm sure they'll have a run-in with Sonic sooner or later," the kit reasoned, shrugging. "Maybe he'll do all the work for us. I think one tussle should be enough to sway Shadow's convictions. He may not be looking for a fight, but I'm sure Sonic is."

* * *

"Where to next, Shads?"

"We're going back to Station Square," the dark-furred hedgehog answered, his gaze never wavering from the path ahead as they made their way back into the forest from Tails' work-shed, "To meet up with E-123."

"What do you think of Station Square, anyway?" Rouge inquired, as they walked down the streets toward the Train Station. "Pretty pathetic excuse for being a city, don't you agree? I mean, not even a single jewelry store for miles…" Shadow shrugged noncommittally and Rouge chuckled.

"Never the one for small-talk, eh, Shadow?" she jibed. There was a rustle of leaves just ahead.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the faker!" came an almost pleasant exclamation from above. Shadow was immediately crouched in a defensive stance, his eyes turned upward toward the trees. He had assumed the position so quickly that Rouge nearly tripped over him, staggering before she lifted her head to follow his gaze. "I guess I don't need to ask what you're doing in the Mystic Ruins," the other hedgehog said dryly, flicking his gaze toward the workshop behind them. His legs were draped casually over the edge of a particularly sturdy branch on a tree just above him, his back supported by the trunk behind him. "I shouldn't be surprised that Amy is trying to recruit the next best thing." He grinned.

"What do you want, blue hedgehog?" Shadow asked evenly.

"It's hardly blue, anymore," Sonic mused aloud, indicating his self with a dramatic sweep of his hand. "I'd actually say it's more of a lovely charcoal color now, wouldn't you agree?"

Rouge blinked, and then realized that the other hedgehog was right. The negative chaos energy Amy had said he had been pumped with must have had warped his coloring along with his personality – it were as if the pigments had been sucked right out of him, leaving a dark and dusty looking coat behind in its absence.

"The Goth look doesn't suit your wise-cracking fat mouth, Sonic," Rouge chided, looking bored. "You heard the man. What do you want?"

"Actually, Rouge, I want to talk to_ you_." Sonic said, nodding at her. "You're the professional treasure hunter of the group, aren't you? I was wondering if I might entice you into helping me on a jewel hunt."

At first the albino bat seemed stunned by the offer; a beat later, however, she glossed it over with her usual haughty look. "Oh, really?" she purred. "What sort of precious gemstones are you interested in, Sonic?"

"I need you to help me locate the whereabouts of the Super Emeralds."

Rouge quirked an eyebrow questioningly. "And what's in it for me?"

"Maybe I'll let you keep the husks after I've absorbed some of their energy," Sonic considered, his head tilted to one side as he seemed to mull over the offer.

Rouge eyed him skeptically. "_Maybe_?" she scoffed. "That's not much of a barter, Sonic."

"I'd say letting you keep all four limbs intact would be a pretty fair trade," Sonic replied, grinning down upon his two companions wickedly. "That was going to be the original deal. Your cooperation, in order to keep you nice and pretty with fully operational arms and legs. Nifty, huh?"

"I'd like to see you _try_," Rouge snorted, arms folded across her enormous bust. "No dice, hedgehog. C'mon, Shads." She waved the other life-form along, spreading her wings and taking to the air. She hovered just below Sonic's range for a moment, then swept down the pathway toward the train station, leaving naught but a breeze in her wake. Shadow lingered behind, still staring up at Sonic mistrustfully, eyes narrowed to scarlet slits.

The younger hedgehog shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn her," he said, and suddenly there was a flash of grey, streaking down the bough of the tree towards a retreating Rouge with the force and velocity of a bullet train. Shadow spun around just in time to hear her scream.


End file.
